Device for automatically or manually spraying a pressurized fluid

ABSTRACT

A spraying device comprising a heat-responsive bimetal whose dimension changes with change in temperature and is movable to actuate a valve for opening and closing a passage through which a pressurized fluid is sprayed from a container into the atmosphere and means are provided for manually actuating the valve through the bimetal. The manual actuating means is effective for spraying the pressurized liquid at a desired stage even if the bimetal is in such a condition that it can not actuate the valve due to low temperature thereof.

United States Patent Iketani [54] DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY OR [151 3,685,693 Aug. 22, 1972 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,419,189 12/ l 968 lketani ..222/54 2,731,230 l/l956 Schell ..251/11 2,837,375 6/1958 Efford et a1 ..222/402.13 X

Primary Examiner--Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Larry Martin Attorney-Robert E. Burns and Emmanuel .l. Lobato ABSTRACT A spraying device comprising a heat-responsive bimetal whose dimension changes with change in temperature and is movable to actuate a valve for opening and closing a passage through which a pressurized fluid is sprayed from a container into the atmosphere and means are provided for manually actuating the valve through the bimetal. The manual actuating means is effective for spraying the pressurized liquid at a desired stage even if the bimetal is in such a condition that it can not actuate the valve due to low temperature thereof.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED Aus 22 m2 SHEET 1 0F 2 SHEET 2 BF 2 PATENTEnauczz m2 DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY R MANUALLY SPRAYING A PRESSURIZED FLUID The present application is a divisional application of my copending application, Ser. No. 797,006, filed on Feb. 6, 1969 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,800.

The present invention relates to a device for spraying pressurized fluid, particularly to a device for automatically and periodically spraying a pressurized fluid and having means for manually actuating the device at will.

The pressurized fluid consists of a solution of material, such as insecticides, disinfectants, aromatics and a propellant material, such as liquefied gas.

In the use of insecticides for exterminating noxious insects in a warehouse, etc. it is frequently necessary to spray the insecticide solution into the atmosphere at suitable, periodic intervals. Insecticides usually have an injurious effect on the health of persons exposed .thereto and therefore, the spraying operation of the insecticide must be carried out automatically.

For this purpose, the devices comprising a heatresponsive means for actuating the spray means automatically and periodically are developed. In such conventional devices, spray means such as valves for opening and closing a passage way for the pressurized fluid is actuated only by the heat-responsive means which is movable in response to the change of temperature. Thus, it is impossible to spray the pressurized condition in such a situation where the temperature of the heatresponsive means is lower than the temperature at which the heat-responsive means can actuate the spray means. This is very invonvenient in the actual use of the device. Accordingly, it is very desirable that the automatic spraying device can optionally spray the pressurized fluid at a desired stage.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for automatically and periodically spraying a pressurized fluid and having means for manually actuating the spraying means at the will of an operator.

The spraying device according to the present invention is characterized by means for manually spraying at will connected to the spraying means through the heatresponsive means.

The movable heat-responsive means usable for the device of the present invention is a birnetal which has its dimension changed in response to changes or variations in temperature. When the pressurized fluid is sprayed from the container, the liquefied gas which is included in the fluid as propellant material, is gasified and the heat of vaporization or latent heat for gasification of the liquefied gas is consumed whereby the temperature of the fluid is lowered, thereby causing the movable, heat-responsive element to cool and shrink. On the other hand, the temperature of the movable, heat-responsive element gradually rises when spraying is stopped and consequently, the element expands. The time interval between shrinking and expanding of the element is substantially the same, provided the atmospheric temperature is constant.

On the basis of the above-mentioned principle, the device in accordance with the present invention provides a valve mechanism for automatically and periodically spraying the pressurized fluid containing a liquefied gas.

The above-mentioned and other objects of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical-sectional view of an embodiment of a device of the present invention having a button for manual operation for spraying by hand;

FIG. 2 is vertical-sectional view of another embodiment of the device of the present invention having a pushing projection under a non-spraying condition,

FIG. 3 is a vertical-sectional view of the device of FIG. 2 in a spraying condition.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a pressurized container 1 consists of a housing 2 and a cover member 3 which is provided with a dependant portion 6 having an annular stopper portion 4 and an opening 5. The dependant portion 6 is formed, for example, with a press. A valve 7 for automatically and intermittently spraying comprises a first valve mechanism 8, a second valve mechanism 9 and a movable, heat-responsive mechanism 10. The first valve mechanism 8 comprises a body member 18 having a cylindrical portion 16 which defines a valve chamber at its lower portion, an outflow passage 17 which is an axial extension of the valve chamber 15, a valve head 19, a spring 20 and a lid member 22 having a narrow opening 21 bored therethrough which is secured to the cylindrical portion 16 at its opened end. The body member 18 has a threaded portion 13. The spring 20 within the cylindrical portion 16 continually urges the valve head 19 upwardly against a valve seat 23 to keep this portion of the valve closed. A packing 24 is pressed into an area between a base portion of the body member 18 and the dependant portion 6 of the cover member 3. A suction pipe 25 is connected to the cylindrical portion 16 and the lower end of said suction pipe 25 which extends in the container 1 is located adjacent to its base.

The second valve mechanism 9 comprises a threaded portion 26 which engages with the threaded portion 13 of the body member 18, an empty chamber 27, an annular ridge 28, a valve chamber 30 housing a valve seat 29, and a jet conduit 31 adjacent to the valve seat 29 in communication with the valve chamber 30, a spout 32 communicating with the conduit 31, a body member 35 provided with a retaining ridge 34 for a bimetal 45, an annular stopper groove 33, a jet nozzle 36, a valve head 37 and a stationary pushing rod having a fixed disk 39 through which narrow openings 38 are bored. The second valve mechanism 9 is engaged with the first valve mechanism 8 by means of threaded portions 13 and 26 and when in use, one end of the stationary pushing rod 40 continually urges the valve head 19 downwardly against spring 20 and thus, maintains the outflow passage 17 open. When not in use, the unit may be stored with second valve mechanism 9 disengaged from the. first valve mechanism 8 by unscrewing threaded portions 13 and 26 from each other whereby valve head 19 is seated on valve seat 23. Upon opening of the the outflow passage 17', liquid (a) held in the container 1 under pressure, is introduced into the valve chamber 30, but the liquid (a does not flow to the exterior since the valve head 37 is seated against the valve seat 29, due to the inner pressure of the liquid (a) so as to close the jet conduit 31.

The movable, heat-responsive mechanism 10 comprises a cap body 44 having a ridge 41 opposite the retaining ridge 34 of the body member 35, a ventilating hole 42 and an annular ridge 43 which engages with the annular stopper groove 33, a disc-shaped bimetal 45, an actuator rod 46 and an expansion chamber 47, the

actuator rod 46 extending through the jet conduit 31 of the member 35 against the valve head 37. Although the disc-shaped bimetal 45 is supported between the retaining ridge 34 and the ridge 41, the supported area is adapted to permit a slight passage of air so that the bimetal 45 may move instantly upward or downward at the curved area to a predetermined position depending upon the temperature which affects the bimetal 45. This bimetal 45 has a characteristic such that the bimetal is kept curved toward the higher expansion side at ambient temperature in the place where the pressurized container is installed and is reversed to the lower expansion side at a lower temperature than a temperature of atmosphere until it is restored to the original state by the ambient temperature. That is, the operating condition of the bimetal 45 employed in the present invention is opposite to that used with the conventional device for such a purpose, in which it is kept curved toward the lower expansion side at ambient temperature while it is reversed to the higher expansion side.

In the valve device illustrated in FIG. 1, air enters the ventilating hole 42 in the upper surface of the cap body 44 of the movable, heat-responsive mechanism and warms the bimetal 45 which is reversed at once when it reaches predetermined temperature and at the same time pushes or actuates the actuator rod 46 downwardly. This descent moves the valve head 37 away from the valve seat 29 and pushes the valve head 37 against the fixed disc 39. The liquid (a) which has already filled the valve chamber 30 is introduced in a liquid state through the jet conduit 31 and the jet nozzle 36, from which the liquid (a) is sprayed, while a small portion of the liquid (a) is supplied through a narrow clearance on the upper side of the jet conduit 31 to the expansion chamber 47 where a small quantity is discharged through the portion which supports the bimetal and the ventilating hole 42 to the exterior. Consequently, when the small quantity of liquid (a) enters again in a gasified form, the bimetal 45 is cooled by consumption of the latent heat due to gasification of the liquid (a), whereby the bimetal 45 is restored to its initial state. Consequently, the force on actuator rod 46 is relieved and the actuator rod 46 is urged upwardly together with the valve head 37 by the inner pressure due to the liquid (a). As a result, the jet conduit 31 is closed and the liquid (a) substantially fills the valve chamber 30 again in a liquid state through the narrow opening 38. It should be noted here, that a single dose to be sprayed is limited to the quantity which has filled the valve chamber 30 since the narrow openings 38 of the fixed disc 39 are closed by the valve head 37 at the moment of spraying, i.e., a single dose to be sprayed is in proportion to the capacity of the valve chamber 30. Thus, a predetermined quantity is sprayed. Such an operation of reversing the bimetal 45 by utilizing the ambient temperature and the consumption of the latent heat for gasification of the liquid held under pressure in the container makes repeated spraying automatically possible.

Manually operated actuating means is provided for overriding the action of the bimetal 45 when same is in its upwardly flexed state and the actuating means comprises push button 72 provided on the cap body, 44 biased in an upward direction through the medium of a biasing spring 73. An axis 74 of the button 72 is inserted into the expansion chamber 47 through the ventilating hole 42 and its end 50 is indirectly engageable with the actuator rod 46 through the bimetal 45. When the push button 72 is manually depressed thereby overriding the action of the bimetal, the bimetal 45 is flexed or bent downwardly while being forcibly maintained in that condition and the actuator rod 46 is depressed to the spraying position. Upon releasing the push button 72, the push button returns to its normal position shown in FIG. 1 independently of the position of the bimetal and the bimetal flexes or bends upwardly at once and the actuating rod 46 is replaced at the stopping position by the pressure of the pressurized liquid in the valve chamber 30.

The push button 72 is valuable for optionally spraying at a desired stage, even if the bimetal 45 is in an upwardly bent or flexed condition so as to release sprayrng.

Further, when the push button 72 is depressed so as to open the valve member 29, the pressurized liquid fed into the expansion chamber 47 is restricted in its discharging through the ventilating hole 42 because of a barrier effect of the bimetal 45 partitioning the expansion chamber 47. Therefore, in the case of manual spray, the finger pushing the button 72 down is not exposed to the gas discharged through the expansion chamber 47.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cap member 110 covering the expansion chamber 47 is made up of an elastic and flexible material and has a projection 111 disposed at the center of the inside thereof so as to operatively be connected to the center of the bimetal strip 45.

When the cap member 110 is depressed or inwardly flexed so that the bimetal 45 is downwardly bent by the projection 111, the actuator rod 102 is pushed down so as to open the valve member 100, as indicated in FIG. 3. Next, when the cap member 110 is released, the cap member 110 and the bimetal 45 are replaced in the upwardly bent condition as illustrated in FIG. 2 owing to the elasticity thereof, respectively, and the valve member is pressed toward the valve sheet 101 by the pressure of the pressurized fluid in the valve chamber 98 so as to close the jet conduit 103.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, the ventilating hole 19 is located parallel to the jet nozzle 106, and the cap member has no ventilating hole. Therefore, in the case of manual spray, the finger of the operator is perfectly prevented from exposure to the gas.

What] claim is:

l. A device connectable to a source of pressurized fluid for automatically and periodically spraying the pressurized fluid into the atmosphere comprising: means defining a valve chamber connectable to a source of pressurized fluid during use of the device; means defining an expansion chamber vented to the atmosphere disposed downstream from said valve chamber; means defining a restricted flow passageway providing fluid communication between said valve chamber and said expansion chamber; a jet nozzle in fluid communication with said restricted passageway for spraying a portion of the pressurized fluid flowing through said restricted passageway into the atmosphere; valve means disposed within said valve I heat-responsive means when same is in said second position to manually effect opening of said valve means including a manually depressible projection manually depressible into engagement with said movable, heatresponsive means to effect movement of same from said second position into said first position and movable out of engagement therewith when said projection is manually released and independently of the position of said movable, heat-responsive means to thereafter permit automatic closing of said valve means by said movable, heat-responsive means.

2. A device according to clam 1; wherein said actuating means comprises a push-button having said projection connected thereto, means mounting said push-button for manual depression to move said projection into contact with said movable, heat-responsive means to effect movement of same from said second position into said first position and movable out of contact with said movable, heat-responsive means independently of the position thereof to enable closing of said valve means, and biasing means biasing said push-button out of contact with said movable, heat-responsive means.

3. A device according to claim 1; wherein said means defining an expansion chamber includes a flexible surface disposed in opposed, spaced-apart relationship from said movable, heat-responsive means, and wherein said projection is connected to an inner surface portion of said flexible surface extending towards said movable, heat-responsive means engageable therewith to effect movement thereof from said second position into said first position in response to manually inward flexure of said flexible surface. 

1. A device connectable to a source of pressurized fluid for automatically and periodically spraying the pressurized fluid into the atmosphere comprising: means defining a valve chamber connectable to a source of pressurized fluid during use of the device; means defining an expansion chamber vented to the atmosphere disposed downstream from said valve chamber; means defining a restricted flow passageway providing fluid communication between said valve chamber and said expansion chamber; a jet nozzle in fluid communication with said restricted passageway for spraying a portion of the pressurized fluid flowing through said restricted passageway into the atmosphere; valve means disposed within said valve chamber for opening and closing fluid communication between said valve chamber and said restricted flow passageway; movable, heat-responsive means mounted within said expansion chamber automatically movable to a first position when the prevailing temperature within said expansion chamber rises above a preselected temperature to effect opening of said valve means and automatically movable to a second position whenever the prevailing temperature within said expansion chamber falls a predetermined amount below said preselected temperature to effect closing of said valve means; and manually operated actuating means for manually overriding the action of said movable, heat-responsive means when same is in said second position to manually effect opening of said valve means including a manually depressible projection manually depressible into engagement with said movable, heat-responsive means to effect movement of same from said second position into said first position and movable out of engagement therewith when said projection is manually released and independently of the position of said movable, heat-responsive means to thereafter permit automatic closing of said valve means by said movable, heat-responsive means.
 2. A device according to claim l; wherein said actuating means comprises a push-button Having said projection connected thereto, means mounting said push-button for manual depression to move said projection into contact with said movable, heat-responsive means to effect movement of same from said second position into said first position and movable out of contact with said movable, heat-responsive means independently of the position thereof to enable closing of said valve means, and biasing means biasing said push-button out of contact with said movable, heat-responsive means.
 3. A device according to claim 1; wherein said means defining an expansion chamber includes a flexible surface disposed in opposed, spaced-apart relationship from said movable, heat-responsive means, and wherein said projection is connected to an inner surface portion of said flexible surface extending towards said movable, heat-responsive means engageable therewith to effect movement thereof from said second position into said first position in response to manually inward flexure of said flexible surface. 